Acid Test
by lupus-stellam
Summary: Upon a feud between two rival clans, a truce was planned. Wedlock. The respective clans have sent their trump cards to wed each other. But were the pawns happy about it? 3rd person POV.


Author's Note:

WARNING: AU-ish

Since Koga and Erika have kind of Japanese feels to their clothing styles and preference of habits (Koga in Ninjutsu and Erika in Ikebana/Flower arranging) I see them both as rivaling clans ala Japanese style. Erika and Koga are respectively Gym leaders, but here I would put them as Dojo leaders (Please dismiss the fighting dojo in Saffron City. And here, Dojo = Gym.)(Note: I'm using Japanese translations for the place names. Tamamushi = Celadon City. SekiChiku = Fuchsia City. Kikyou = Violet City, Kuchiba = Vermilion City)

I am not using Kyuu for Koga, but I will use Anzu in place of Janine and Hayato in place of Falkner. On a footnote, I ship Koga x Sabrina, and Lt. Surge x Erika. But this idea sprang out of nowhere, so I thought I might give it a shot.

* * *

Erika looked into the night sky. The gleaming moon was giving her a kindly smile, accompanied by the tranquil night in the region. The sound of rustling leaves in the breeze was soothing, after a long day at work. Down in the lawn of the house, her Vileplume was sleeping soundly by the base of a large tree, giving off fragrant powders that wafted through the area. A Venonat slept next to it, snoozing quietly.

The woman sighed sadly. She had just returned from a meeting with the clan elders from the Tamamushi clan, the pioneer and current reigning clan of the Tamamushi City. Apparently they were not going to change their minds one bit.

They weren't going to change their minds on her marriage with the Dojo leader of Sekichiku City, Koga. Although they were husband and wife for a good while, it wasn't that both didn't get along. It was against their own principles.

Erika despised the arrangements set by her clan elders. Being the only available candidate to date, she had to bear the full weight of this alliance. This alliance alone was because of the differences that had arisen between both clans for ages.

The Tamamushi clan and Sekichiku clan live quite nearby each other, Tamamushi on top of a hill, and Sekichiku at the bottom. It would take an easy yet dangerous roll downhill to get to Sekichiku from Tamamushi, but vice versa, it was a hot and tedious hike.

Tamamushi was well-known for its beautiful city, decorated with Grass type Pokémon. Erika, being the infamous Dojo leader in the city, was a known target for suitors. She was a traditional Japanese woman, with beauty and talent to match. Hence, many wanted to woo her for her graceful manners, intelligence and beauty.

Downhill in Sekichiku, Poison type Pokémon marked their names crystal clear. Koga was also a famous ninjutsu master. He had mastered the arts of ninjutsu and had passed down his teachings to many of his disciples in the Sekichiku clan. He was rather a shrewd man, but his loyalty was always there. Due to his unwavering loyalty, he had surrendered to the fate of marrying Erika. To make matters worse, he had a daughter, Anzu, who was probably overlooked when the elders made their decision. The relationship between Erika and Anzu were visibly strained, however, they both got along quite well after getting accustomed to each other.

Poison type Pokémon and Grass type Pokémon would have gone hand in hand, but due to something that went wrong, several of the grass Pokémon in Tamamushi fell ill due to a disease caused by poison by Poison type Pokémon, namely Weezing and Koffing. This led to a feud between both clans, playing the blame game on whose fault was it. However, the elders of both clans had mapped out a plan to restore peace between both clans.

They arranged for the Dojo Leaders to marry each other.

It seemed pretty harmless, in the eyes of the clan men. On the contrary, many were rather wary of this idea. They were careful to make sure that there was nothing that would separate them, especially among the people who protested against the arrangement, which were Erika and Koga themselves.

The thoughts flitted by Erika's mind, and it reached a flashback of one of the heated moments in her life.

-FLASHBACK STARTS-

_Erika knelt before her guest, which was none other than Koga, who looked rather uncomfortable. In between them was one of her clan elders, who started to speak. _

"_In order to seal this feud between the clans of Tamamushi and Sekichiku, I hereby announce that Koga," he addressed the said person, who nodded silently. "…and Erika," he gestured to her, who did the same. "I announce that both of you are to be wedded to seal an alliance between our clans."_

_Koga's eyes had widened in shock at that statement. It was the first time Erika had seen him do it. The ninja was normally composed and calm, not a person to burst out their emotions. Erika herself couldn't believe what she had heard. Marrying….Koga? _

_The clan elder continued "I understand you both know why we have to do this. It is for the good of the peace of the clans." Erika hung her head. Koga hid his face. Both of them sighed in defeat, knowing that their responsibilities to each clan member were important._

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

The young woman spotted the sleeping Venonat, and managed a small smile. How she wished she were a simple Pokémon, being free from the burdens and worries of the human world. Despite the Venonat being Koga's and the Vileplume hers, the two Pokémon were snuggling next to each other, like they were close friends all the while.

Some shuffling footsteps were audible, which stopped when they were, from Erika's prediction, three to four steps away from her. A deep male voice rang "Another refusal."

Erika didn't have to turn around to know who the speaker was.

Hidden in the shadows of the mansion, was Koga, her husband. He looked just as grim as she was earlier. Apparently, he had to seek the clan elders too. Erika understood. Koga had been fighting tooth and nail for the divorce between both, since he knew full well Erika was not happy with him, and neither was he with her. They both do speak to each other, but it was visibly strained. After time passed, the tension had visibly eased, but they did not see themselves as a husband and wife. They did not even consummate their marriage.

Those two words that Koga spat out were enough to break Erika's insides. She was almost at the verge of tears, to know that their efforts were futile. Of all the appeals they had sent, all of them were blatantly rejected, since both clans knew that if something went wrong with the marriage, the feuds may resume, and more blame games will occur.

Koga sighed and walked a few steps closer to her. He remembered, when his wife had left him, he showered his love solely on Anzu alone. He never made it a point in life in loving another woman again, until this arrangement came about.

Although he and Erika never really looked at each other as husband and wife, they did, however, make a point that they should try getting along, instead of constantly bickering like his daughter, Anzu, with a friend of hers which was Hayato from the Kikyo clan.

Erika let out a small sniffle. Koga's ears perked up at the noise. He knew that they had failed again. Turning to Koga, Erika managed a weak smile. "You have done your best….Koga…"

The ninja looked at her with slight concern. He was sure that Erika was going to cry, since he saw trails of tears forming at her eyelids. A rush of instinct made him hold her close to him, as he gently stroked her raven hair. It wasn't strange for a husband to comfort his wife, but for Koga and Erika, it was a rare gesture, since Koga himself rarely showed such gestures, even to his own daughter.

Upon being stroked like the silken tails of a Ninetales, Erika's tears fought their way down her cheeks, causing the petite woman to shake in drowning sobs.

_Why are we the ones that have to get along in the name of our clans? Can they not do the same? _ Erika's heart wailed, but her crying didn't allow her to even form a proper sentence.

Koga closed his eyes. He didn't like it at all that Erika was crying. It rendered him helpless, unable to do anything to quell her tears, except to wait for them to stop. "Crying women are the things that most men would rather die than witness." Their fellow Dojo leader, Matis Surge of Kuchiba clan, had once said that, due to his experience in war and facing the devastated looks on the woeful faces of war widows.

A few long minutes later, Erika's sobs subsided, and she looked up at her husband with red puffy eyes. "I'm sorry…" she murmured, seeing how much his clothes became wet by her tears.

Her husband made a small noise which sounded like a "Hmph." and let her go. He took a gaze at the moonlit sky and beckoned Erika indoors before he shut the door behind them for the night.

It was no secret that they were trying to break free from this cage of wedlock. On the other hand, it was better for them to get along, and not fight each other upon sight. This alliance may have caused pain between two individuals who did not love each other like they should, but if they managed to at least get along well, it was worth the pain.


End file.
